sieve

an instrument with a meshed or perforated bottom, used for separating coarse from fine parts of loose matter, for straining liquids, etc., especially one with a circular frame and fine meshes or perforations.

The trouble in sieving gravel is that if the sieve be filled to its capacity the shaking soon becomes tiring.

sieve

noun

a device for separating lumps from powdered material, straining liquids, grading particles, etc, consisting of a container with a mesh or perforated bottom through which the material is shaken or poured

rarea person who gossips and spreads secrets

memory like a sieveorhead like a sievea very poor memory

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verb

to pass or cause to pass through a sieve

(tr often foll by out) to separate or remove (lumps, materials, etc) by use of a sieve

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Derived Formssievelike, adjective

Word Origin

Old English sife; related to Old Norse sef reed with hollow stalk, Old High German sib sieve, Dutch zeef

Word Origin and History for sieving

sieve

n.

Old English sife "sieve," from Proto-Germanic *sib (cf. Middle Dutch seve, Dutch zeef, Old High German sib, German Sieb), from PIE *seib- "to pour out, sieve, drip, trickle" (see soap (n.)). Related to sift. The Sieve of Eratosthenes (1803) is a contrivance for finding prime numbers. Sieve and shears formerly were used in divinations.